Podcast: Turkey’s Aerospace Ambitions

By 2023, Turkey’s centenary, President Tayyip Edogan wants the nation’s aerospace industry to fly its indigenous TF-X fighter. But the new fighter is just the one example, as Turkey is developing a trainer/light attack aircraft, UAVs, missiles, helicopters and a gallium-nitride-based AESA radar.

Discuss this Video 9

The first Turkish plane flied in the year 1923. Built by the aviator V. Hürkush which is who the newly developed Hürkush aircraft is named after. A lapse of time of a century should be enough of time for anyone to prepare for a step up.

I believe there are no good reasons to help Turkey in any way to develop these programs, most especially on the new light attack trainer through the Sierra Nevada relationship. Why we would want, in any way, to even consider becoming dependent on a country for such a key program, a country with such enormous and reckless political instability, is beyond me. Selling them aircraft and systems is one thing. Buying or allowing technology transfer of leading edge technology simply makes no strategic sense.

"Why we would want, in any way, to even consider becoming dependent on a country for such a key program, a country with such enormous and reckless political instability, is beyond me."
Perhaps you should not attempt to make a point on things you don't understand then.

I hadn't heard of an attempted coup and purge of thousands of AF personnel in the US and Britain, as continues under the Islamist dictator in Turkey. Perhaps you could provide a link to these fictions. And the podcast made it clear that they mean by "foreigners" the US, and have already contracted with the "foreigners" BEA to make up for some of their technical short comings.

An Islamist dictator? A charismatic leader who won all the elections he ran in ever since he emerged all with ever increasing results. Which is who every nation would love to have. And the potential of a coup has been eliminated for good now with the failure of the attempted one. And there is no election in the two years ahead. This makes Turkey more stable than the US.

You may be unaware that the Trump government is under attack by the opposition and they researched the possibility of an overthrow of government just the other day. UK is in the cusp of a venture which no one knows will lead them. Finance sector the lifeline of the nation is fleeing the country and the EU is not letting them get away with dodging their responsibilities against the union. And the election is coming up.

Partnering with foreigners is for squeezing the time and getting there quicker and not because we can not get there otherwise.

Initial BAE agreement is for a four year term after which Turkey will get to decide whether to extend it or not. If the cooperation is not productive BAE Systems will look for other ventures to work their engineers.